Ferentz Releases Statement

[edr247]

It continues to baffle me that everyone is up in arms that Kirk didn't fly back for the press conference on Wednesday...these kids have been in the hospital since Monday...the holier than thou media guys should at least get their anger focused in the right direction. I'm sure Kirk got all of the info he needed and was told it wasn't "life threatening" and figured he could stay out on the recruiting trail because of that...but holy crap, someone over there needs to get their head out of their a$$ and realize how bad this was going to blow up because of the number of players involved and how scary this condition sounds...

This entire athletic department has dropped the ball this year and there had better be a shake up in how things are done from now on or with who's in charge of PR...

I couldn't care less what other fans or the media or the rest of the public think about Ferentz not coming back on Tuesday. However, I do think that if even one parent/guardian wanted him to be back on Tuesday (and made it clear that he should be back, or that they wanted to speak to him in person), that he should have been back earlier, regardless of what he could have done once back.

 

[JonDMiller]

Like I said I may be mistaken, but I thought he had a supervisory or programming role. I admitted I may be wrong.

I do not have a supervisory role, nor do I have a programming role on KXNO. Deace and I resigned from our morning show in September, and at that time I also voluntarily gave back half my salary and negotiated a reduced role at the station. I believe I still might be the only employee in Clear Channel history to have done that

 

[HawkeyeShane]

I couldn't care less what other fans or the media or the rest of the public think about Ferentz not coming back on Tuesday. However, I do think that if even one parent/guardian wanted him to be back on Tuesday (and made it clear that he should be back, or that they wanted to speak to him in person), that he should have been back earlier, regardless of what he could have done once back.

That's my point...the jags ripping him don't even have their stance right. But, while we may not care what the media thinks, we had better care about those who do care about what they say, because public opinion of this program can't get any lower than it is right now and that's not good, because recruits have access to the bashing, their parents have access to it and other teams have access to it...and that can hurt a helluva lot more than some local hacks spouting off about it.

 

[Easton]

The articles where people are quoting "relative of a relative". Or vilifying a coach before any investigation has been done. Has any of this been verified. I think I have read one journalist who interviewed anyone outside of their own online editor.

The goal of media now is to shock, not report but shock. Cowherd, Chuckles, and Doyel can all be lumped into a group who care less about the truth as they do getting a bunch of views. The health of these players means little to any of these guys. I honestly think they all would love it if someone took a turn for the worst.

 

[Easton]

You need to come back to reality, my friend. Have you read anything the nation media has said about this? In a literal sense, you're absolutely correct... but that's not what this is about. It's all a big game, and Iowa's PR department didn't play it correctly. Despite knowing virtually nothing, many prominent opinion pieces have torn Ferentz apart. This is all self-evident stuff.

The reality is I am not a attention deficit starved person. I would rather know that what I am looking at is real, as opposed to relying on the latest tweet or blog to confirm my existence. There are more of us out there than you think. It is part of growing and seeing the change in the way the world has been reported. Am I 80yrs old....no 36, but I remember reading and enjoying credible stories and learning to balance them in my life. Relying or fearing what the next person believes is something you learn or not learn.

If I was the only one thinking this don't you think that there would be repercussions now in recruiting or in coaching decisions.

Truth will come out, then you move forward and learn.

 

[Easton]

I do not have a supervisory role, nor do I have a programming role on KXNO. Deace and I resigned from our morning show in September, and at that time I also voluntarily gave back half my salary and negotiated a reduced role at the station. I believe I still might be the only employee in Clear Channel history to have done that

Sorry for the confusion. Like I said I may have been mistaken.

 

[tweeterhawk]

This (statement) would have been good on Tuesday (obviously sans the release of players from hospital, which happened today)

+1.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

Here is what something from Ferentz earlier in the week does, or wait a day later to hold the presser so he could be there, even if he didn't say much (which he could not).

It takes some arrows out of the national media's quiver from the standpoint of the joke of a topic that Ferentz showed he didn't care about his players. We all know that is such BS, but the national guys don't.

And the national guys get read by hundreds of thousands. Forde has over 53,000 people following him on twitter and is read by more than a half million. I have 4200 twitter followers yet there were over 122k ppl that visited this site in December 2010. Take twitter numbers and blow them up for national or overall reach.

This is going to be something used against Iowa on the recruiting trail next year, you can bet on it. Whether or not it has any effect, we'll see.

That's why it matters; perception, PR...Iowa lost that angle this week, even if the substance would have been the same from Ferentz as it was from the three others there Wednesday. If Iowa had issued a Ferentz statement earlier this week, the national guys bookmark it and it becomes a 'check back later if people are permanently damaged' story.

Sorry Jon, but that is a rather-short sighted view.

You overestimate the attention span of young people and the media.

You're kinda correct with regard to how opposing folks will try to use this next year in the recruiting game ... however, such negative recruiting tactics often backfire.

The bottom line that brings success to recruiting is success on the field.

I read Forde semi-regularly and plenty of what he writes is crap. Thus, whether folks process his stuff as crap or not ... it will only remain in their "buffer" for a limited window of time.

I frankly think that you're overreacting as much as anybody here ... and that is too bad. As many folks have pointed out ... PR is far less important than the actual HEALTH of the young men involved ... PERIOD.

 

[JonDMiller]

PR is far less important than the actual HEALTH of the young men involved ... PERIOD.

No kidding?

Of course it is. Every item I have written on this begins with the concern for the players and their recovery is of the most importance. Being that is out of Iowa's hands, PR is something that IS in their hands, and I believe they fell short here.

 

[kicker22]

I love all the claims that KF "doesn't "care about his players" and things would be different if his kid was one of the 13. IMO the simple fact that his son is on the team and possibly good friends with the hospitalized teammates puts Kirk in a position where he is more emotionally involved then anyone is willing to give him credit for at this time. Let's not forget that his own son participated in the very same drills that the others did and as far as I know nothings been confirmed that he wasnt one of the 13.

 

[hawkfaninTX]

What Jon is saying is true, kind of like when an athlete is forced to hold a press conference and read from a piece a paper that either a lawyer or a PR specialist wrote for said athlete about an apology for some bad decision he/she made. While KF could have flown back and acted in a similar "obligatory" manor, I would have to think that he and Gary Barta did as was needed from a wonderful thing called a cell phone by contacting the "need to knows" & felt as though that would suffice.

oh and BTW -that athlete is never looked at in the same manor ever again. The only one he/she needs to apologize to is himself/herself & family (which is EXACTLY what Ferentz did in this situation.)

 

[cibula11]

And as yet another reminder, my only criticisms thus far are on how this has been handled from a PR standpoint. As I wrote on Wednesday, I have no doubts Kirk cares for these kids as they are his own, I have no doubt that the workouts they went through are workouts former players have gone through (because I called them to ask) and how some in the national press are vilifying Kirk and Doyle ticks me off.

But Iowa dropped the ball with the perception and PR, and that's a self inflicted wound

I gotta believe there is a specific reason for this. Either more information was needed, or players were not telling the truth, but SOMETHING caused the Uof I to wait till now.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

No kidding?

Of course it is. Every item I have written on this begins with the concern for the players and their recovery is of the most importance. Being that is out of Iowa's hands, PR is something that IS in their hands, and I believe they fell short here.

PR is only as big as you make it out to be.

Besides, we're also addressing an issue that boils down to diagnosis ... which flirts the border between medicine and science. And, quite frankly, the speed of medicine/science cares little about the speed of the media and/or PR.

Lastly, Ferentz has long set a precedent of not being forthcoming with information that he's perceived as not being the business of others. Those who need to be kept informed ... he keeps informed.

The point here being that Ferentz and Co aren't being much different than they've ever been before.

 

[Easton]

Doesn't Morehouse latest article state that DiBona's mom did not come until Thursday eve. Does anyone know what was passed on to parents or families in relation to this illness. Is there more to the possibility that this wasn't considered serious at first?

No excuses just seems none of this is clear to any of us. Assume, assume, assume.

 

[jameskalina]

I gotta believe there is a specific reason for this. Either more information was needed, or players were not telling the truth, but SOMETHING caused the Uof I to wait till now.

I totally agree.

There was a reason the U. of I. waited. And it probably was a good reason considering the student athlete privacy laws, etc. Without knowing all the facts, I give the University the benefit of the doubt.

Rushing into a press conference may nip some outside concerns but if the press conference isn't handled right it could create new concerns and make matters worse.

What I hate is the national sports writers and talk show hosts jumping all over coaches and administrators without knowing all or even a significant portion of the facts. These folks think they know what's going on when in reality their perception is based on what information is out there or what they think they know. Some or most of that information may very well be false.